Credits:

Strauss, Richard (1864-1949)

Description:

Rafaela Gromes, winner of the cello section of the 2012 Richard Strauss Festival in Garmisch-Partenkirchen, was born in Munich in 1991. Born in Munich in 1991, she began studying the cello at the age of four and made her debut as a soloist at the age of 14, playing Gulda's cello concerto. She studied at the Leipzig Conservatory for four years from 2010 with Wen-Sing Yang in Munich, as well as with Reichard Ratko, Peter Bruns, David Geringas, and Wolfgang Boettcher. Yo-Yo Ma has been praised for his "courageous curiosity and energy, not only in technique, but also in his personal charm." His three albums for Sony Classical have also received high praise for "engagingly crafted performances with flawless technique, intonation, and high concentration." In addition, Offenbach: Cello Works, released in 2019, was a bestseller, reaching the Top 20 of the classical charts in Europe.This album features the world premiere recording of the first draft version of Richard Strauss' "Cello Sonata". Composed between 1882 and 1883, when the then 18-year-old Strauss was enrolled at the University of Munich, it was published by Joseph Eiple in Munich in October 1883 and premiered in Nuremberg on December 8 of the same year on Hans Wiehan's cello. In fact, however, the first draft version was completed when he was still a high school student, and was premiered by the same Hans Wiehan on May 5, 1881. It is said that his meeting with Hans Wiehan, then principal cellist of the Munich Court Orchestra, inspired him to compose the piece, and that "through these relationships, Strauss came to know the idiomatic possibilities of Wiehan and his instrument," and he was inspired by the Austrian poet Franz Grillperzer's poem in the manuscript of the first version. It was also the work he had entered in a composition competition.This piece unfortunately did not win the award, but both are included so that the listener can compare both the first and second (regular) draft versions of the young Strauss's Mendelssohn and Schumann poetically romantic work. Also included is Julian Rihm's arrangement for cello and piano of Strauss' famous song. The performance of the "Cello Sonata" in the regular version by Rafaela Gromes and Julian Rihm was recorded live at the 2012 Richard Strauss Festspiele Competition, but here is a fully-fledged studio recording. Sony Music

Tracklisting:

1.Cello Sonata inF Major, First Version~Allegro con brio
2.Cello Sonata inF Major, First Version~Larghetto
3.Cello Sonata inF Major, First Version~Allegro vivace
4.Zueignung, Op. 10 no. 1
5.Nacht, Op. 10 no. 3
6.Du meines Herzens Kronelein, Op. 21 no. 2
7.Ach Lieb, ich muss nun scheiden, Op. 21 no. 3
8.Cacilie, Op. 27 no. 2
9.Morgen!, Op. 27 no. 4
10.Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6~Allegro con brio
11.Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6~Andante ma non troppo
12.Cello Sonata in F Major, Op. 6~Finale. Allegro vivo
13.Rosenkavalier: Waltz Suite